Thought for the Week: Psalm 107:1-3
“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south” (Psalm 107: 1-3).
There are countless examples in the Bible of God being One Who gathers. Part of the great way that He orchestrates is to move people from where they are to where they need to be at the correct timing. I love that. There is nowhere too far out of God’s reach. There is no one who can’t be moved (literally or figuratively) into the anointed time and space of the Lord.
This truth can be a comfort when it comes to your wedding. This special day of your life might not seem complete if particular friends or family members can’t be there. Unfortunately, you will not be able to control everyone’s schedules or prevent emergencies or slow down death that might keep your loved ones from sharing in your special day. But what a gift to know that God can. He is the One Who gathers, and He can do all things. So if your guest list is missing key people on your wedding day, you can rest assured that God has gathered accordingly. Sometimes there are reasons—eternal or worldly—that you will never know for circumstances that seem to move counter to what you desire. But after God’s gathering of your guests, if there are certain loved ones absent for your wedding, you can trust that God will use that absence for good.
Heavenly Father, You do not mess up when You bring forth circumstances, and You do not mess up when You prevent them. I can’t fully see the great plan that you are orchestrating, and I don’t always know what You hold back when You are preventing something; all I know is how I feel about what I perceive. I confess that it will be very hard for me if (name people) doesn’t/don’t show up to the wedding. Will You please gather those who are supposed to be there and help me to trust that those who can’t come are somehow in Your will for not being there? In Jesus’ name, Amen.
